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SPIRIT BLADE PRODUCTIONS exists to equip, encourage and inspire Christian Geeks to live in the freedom and purpose Christ offers.
Hey Everybody,
The bad news is, there's no podcast this week. But the GOOD news is that unless I discover something in the final test listens early next week, I'm sitting on the FINAL MIX of "Spirit Blade: Dark Ritual!"
-Paeter Frandsen
Hey Folks,
This post will serve as the weekly update this time, since I'll be out on Friday.
Today is the last day that I am accepting feedback notes from test listeners and I've already begun the final mix based on the notes I've received. I should be able to finish the final audio product before the end of the day tomorrow If I don't have a subbing gig to go to. Then, once our graphic stuff and manufacturers are ready to go, we'll send everything off to print!
It's looking very likely that will happen in less than two weeks, so we're still very much on track for a release before Halloween!
As for the podcast, I'm still not sure if I will be able to fit one in before I leave town this weekend, but at the very least, there will be a new audio feature to download atwww.spiritblade.net. More on that soon!
-Paeter Frandsen
Hi Everyone!
I've just posted a new cast interview on the "Media" page of www.spiritblade.net. Michael Tully, the voice of Raan Galvaanik, sat down with me here in person just after recording to discuss the grueling schedule for "Dark Ritual" and what it was like to sing "without notes!" The interview also begins and ends with clips from "Dark Ritual," so don't miss out!
Also, if I forgot to mention it here (which I may have), I've also posted the interview with actor Melissa VanSlyke and clips I played last time on the podcast. Two great reasons to visit the Media page at www.spiritblade.net!
My plan (which I hope you'll hold me accountable to) is to release a new, non-spoiler special feature for "Dark Ritual" each week until its release.
Speaking of release schedules, I am awaiting a final quote from our CD manufacturers that will allow us to move things forward over the weekend. I'm also awaiting feedback from my last group of test listeners, which is due by Wednesday October 1st. If all goes well, I will be able to make the final adjustments to the mix on Thursday October 2nd. Then I'll be taking Friday through Sunday off to have my annual boardgaming weekend with an out of town buddy.
When I return, I'll hope to cross Ts and dot Is and then send everything off to print on that Monday or Tuesday. Turn around time may be as short as 10 days, so the chance of a release date before Halloween is very good.
Thanks so much for all of your support! I'll continue to keep you posted every step of the way!
-Paeter Frandsen
Well, it's the end of September, which means that my gigs as a substitute teacher are picking back up again. After a week out of town I came home to a three day subbing gig. Great for our family budget, but frustrating when I have a stack of things to catch up on related to the release of "Dark Ritual".
Over the summer, I became used to having at least 8 hours every day to give to Spirit Blade Productions, so to be away from it for a week, and then three more days on top of that, is pretty tough on my patience.
I'm squeezing in some work tonight, which will make me feel better.
I'd love to have more to say, but I think I'd go nuts if I spent any more time tonight staring at my screen to think something up. Better start working on that "to do" list instead.
See ya!
-Paeter Frandsen
Hi Everybody!
I've got CDs out to my test listeners and will be getting a sample from our CD manufacturers today, so the end has never been closer!
As I get ready to transition from production to marketing, I could really use your help. Marketing is not my strong point, but I want to do all I can to get the word out about "Dark Ritual" when it is released.
I'll be getting on every podcast I can to talk about it, promoting it on message boards I'm a part of (when appropriate), and sending out e-mails to the folks on our list.
I've used Google Adwords before, but was not impressed with the results vs. investment. I'll be looking into a similar but more focused device on MySpace. But our marketing budget is very small, and I'm looking for as many alternatives to spending money as possible.
Any ideas out there? I'd love to hear them!
Lastly, Hurricane Ike is on the move and reportedly very dangerous. I hope you'll take a moment today and join me in praying for those who are affected by it.
Thanks and take care.
-Paeter Frandsen
I spent around half of this week working to figure out what company and method we will use to produce our "Dark Ritual" CD sets. Several companies are sending me samples, I'm discussing options with my graphic designer, and I'm also looking for ways to potentially cut corners and reduce costs. It has all involved flexing a different muscle than I have been for awhile, but it's been very good for me and actually enjoyable.
When I ran out of things to do for "Dark Ritual", I pulled out the adaptation work I've done so far for "The Pilgrim's Progress" and continued my work on that project for the first time in many months. Already, I'm looking forward to working on the early creative process for "Pilgrim" and doing the careful thinking, absorbing and studying that adapting that work requires.
I've been working on "Dark Ritual" in one form or another for more than two years now, so putting it down to work on a different creative project felt unusual, but very good. There's still work yet to do before "Dark Ritual" is released, but as I begin the process of "letting it go", I find I'm already anxious for what is coming next.
-Paeter Frandsen
It's a little like "Groundhog Day" for me as I listen to "Dark Ritual" over and over and over...
Tweaking and polishing, making subtle changes that may be unnoticed, but will result in a better listening experience. That's the main focus at this point.
By early next week, I will be handing "Dark Ritual" to various "test listeners" to gain those last bits of vital feedback before passing through it all one more time to finalize the mix for duplication.
We're also working hard to use our funds responsibly. As it stands now, producing the 300 physical units we're planning to, combined with associated costs, will come close to cleaning out our budget for "Spirit Blade Productions". The same thing happened two years ago when we printed "Spirit Blade". We were hoping to reduce costs by printing a smaller number of units (less than half the amount we did for "Spirit Blade"), but with rising costs everywhere and an additional disc in this set, it will cost just a few hundred less to print "Dark Ritual" than it did to print "Spirit Blade".
We're doing what we can to explore money saving options. After all, we're anxious to start our next project, which will only cover one disc and have a much quicker production schedule, so we'll need funds sooner! However, we are unwilling to release a product right now that does not meet the quality standards we are determined to achieve.
Some of you may be curious about the purchase price for "Dark Ritual". While we won't be able to determine that until we get the bill from the CD manufacturers, we want to put this project in your hands and ears for as little money as possible, while allowing us to stay afloat through your support. "Spirit Blade", a two disc project, sold for $15.00 at the time of its release. We are committed to selling "Dark Ritual", a three disc and nearly three hour project, for less than that, and still with free shipping.
So stay tuned. We'll keep you up to date as best we can. Meantime, don't forget to join me for the 6th and final chapter of "Spirit Blade" on our podcast this weekend!
Right now, though, I've got some listening to do!
-Paeter Frandsen
It's kinda strange in the final stages of "Dark Ritual", to get through in three hours something I've been working on for more than two years.
I'm really pleased with the way things are turning out. I've learned a lot since producing "Spirit Blade" and am experiencing the mastering process with much more confidence this time.
Granted, it can always be better, and if I had the money, I'd have the entire project mastered professionally. But when your production company is made up of one guy and his wife(with the aid of some great volunteers!), there's a good amount of work you just have to figure out and do yourself.
And for two years on this project, that's been the name of the game. I've inched over every moment of this massive audio drama for hours upon hours, weeks upon months. So when I can hit "play" and experience the whole thing in just under three hours, it's pretty strange.
You might be thinking, "A three hour audio drama? That's freakin' LONG, man!" But by the end of this week, I will have listened to it, front to back, more than 5 times, and I can't believe how short it is.
We are now entering the final stages of production for "Spirit Blade: Dark Ritual". Our graphic designer is looking into options and pricing for CD case production, in addition to completing his work on the design for the rest of the 3-CD case.
Paeter is beginning his first of many listens to the entire project and preparing to hand it over to a small team of test listeners for further examination.
Although we are still unable to pronounce a release date, once we have decided on a manufacturing company for our CDs, we'll have the information we need to narrow down the field to a single month.
In other news, you may enjoy listening to the podcast this weekend, as Paeter, through a series of audio journal entries recorded on site, shares his GenCon experience! Info on new games, role-playing stories and the continuing quest to find parking!
Have a great weekend!
Despite being so close to the finish line with "Dark Ritual", I'm taking a week of vacation for my 30th birthday. Actually, I turned 30 back in April, but my present from my awesome wife was a trip to GenCon Indiana!
On one level, it's very difficult to put everything down and leave for a week. On another level, it's just what I need. Although it would be great to power through non-stop and finish, it probably won't hurt to forget about the world of Spirit Blade and come back with fresh ears after a week off.
FYI, there's no podcast this weekend, which is why there's no "In Search Of Truth" here today. You won't see another post here until the 20th, which will probably be "In Search Of Truth". If you're itching for something in place of our podcast this weekend, don't forget that we've got a TON of free downloadable audio content at www.spiritblade.net.
That's it for me! Thanks for your patience as we count down to the release of "Spirit Blade: Dark Ritual!"
Have a great week!
This week we enjoyed having Krystofer James VanSlyke over to record some guitar tracks for the songs in "Dark Ritual". After about 3-4 hours of recording on Wednesday, we have some great new elements to add to the music you'll be hearing.
Paeter is currently mixing and recording for the final song of "Dark Ritual" and will likely be finished with it today or on Monday. This will hopefully allow for completion of our first mix before we close things down next week while Paeter goes to GenCon.
Although productivity moves forward with irregularity, subject to both dead-ends and times of inspiration, in the over-all scheme we are right about on schedule!
In the meantime, don't forget to listen to chapter 5 of "Spirit Blade" on the podcast this weekend! Just two more chapters to go before you're up to speed and ready for the "Dark Ritual" experience!
Paeter's been burning the candle at both ends to meet his personal goal of a finished mix by August 12th.
Today, he'll be finishing up work on scene 30 of "Dark Ritual". This scene has taken more time in the "polishing stage" because much of it was left unfinished until the scoring decisions were finalized. With such a hugely explosive and dramatic sequence, we wanted the score to drive the scene, and it does. Scene 30 will probably contain the most dramatically memorable moment in all of "Dark Ritual".
After scene 30 is finished, we will quickly finish adjustments on scenes 31-36. Paeter will have all of next week to polish the already completed songs and finish mixing two other songs.
It's a tall order, but no one is lounging around. We'll continue to keep you posted!
Ordinarily, I like to put something here that reflects what I'm feeling or mentally processing, but you may have noticed that for a little while I've mainly been commenting on some aspect of the mixing process for "Dark Ritual".
That's not been intentional, since every Friday we make a point of giving you a recap on our progress. I just haven't had room in my brain for much else. I also post over at "Paeter's Brain" every Wednesday and sometimes find it a struggle to think about what's going on in my non-Spirit Blade life (since I try to keep work out of that blog) for that post, so there's usually not much left that I'm thinking about to put here.
This is especially true now, since I've given myself a goal for finishing my first complete mix of "Dark Ritual". I've been putting in a lot of extra hours to make it happen and I'm just chomping at the bit to hear the finished product. So Dark Ritual is about all I'm thinking about these days, apart from a few other daily essentials.
All that to say that I'm sorry for not having very interesting material in this slot each Wednesday. I'll try to do a little better between now and finishing up "Dark Ritual".
Catcha later!
-Paeter Frandsen
Today, Paeter is putting the finishing touches on the score for "Dark Ritual" and moving forward with the prelude for the mastering process. This means that Paeter will now be going through each scene and adjusting the mix for both audio quality and storytelling purposes: raising and lowering EQs when they are hard on the ears or not loud enough to be effective, fading out certain sounds or scoring to give attention to other details, etc.
Paeter is also writing the "script" for the opening and closing credits and will soon be scheduling Randy Hesson to record one or both sets of credits.
Although we're feeling the crunch for time, we're still aiming for the mastering process to begin on August 12th. Ths gives Paeter under three weeks to finish 1 and 1/2 songs and make the adjustments to the mix that he would like to before putting everything under the microscope.
That's all the latest for now! Have a great weekend and don't forget to tell a friend about "Spirit Blade: Chapter 4" playing on our podcast this weekend!
I feel just a little behind in scoring. I'm close to the end but still haven't finalized my scoring decisions and purchases. There's some great material to choose from, but in one or two cases I still have to look pretty hard to find that perfect cue to underscore a scene.
The end of "Dark Ritual" is shaping up to sound pretty epic in scale, so I'm also going to be going back and adding a few layers to one of the last songs so that it fits better with the surrounding score.
All things considered, I'm not too far behind, but I'll have to really work hard if I want to have the first mix completed by my goal date of August 12th.
As always, your prayer and encouragement is greatly appreciated. Hope you're having a great week!
- Paeter Frandsen
Today, Paeter is making the final selections for the score of "Dark Ritual" and will be finalizing purchases today and Monday.
It's been a great week of mixing and editing, experimenting with various musical themes and styles. Dark Ritual's score will be a blend of electronic music and epic orchestral/choral sounds that will heighten the experience for our listeners and draw them into the mysterious and sometimes frightening world of "Spirit Blade: Dark Ritual". The adventures of Merikk, Vincent and Raan have never sounded more cinematic and we can't wait for you to hear it!
Have a great weekend!
Hey Everybody!
Just FYI, I'll be out of town and our office will be closed tomorrow (the 9th) through next Monday (the 14th). Download purchases are automated and will still work instantly. CD purchases will be processed first thing Tuesday morning.
My wife and I are going to the Frandsen family reunion up in Yellowstone Park, Montana, where I come from. (Well, I don't come specifically from Yellowstone National Park. Although that would be cool if I was born in the wild!)
It's pretty rare for me to see so many of my extended family members, so we're really looking forward to it!
On the "Dark Ritual" front, I'll be working on the "post-credits" epilogue scene today. When that's done I'll start to finalize scoring, finish the two remaining songs and then dive into mastering. OH! And here's a bit of news that might interest you. "Dark Ritual" will actually run LONGER than "Spirit Blade"! So much longer that instead of cutting it down to fit on two discs, we're going to release it as a THREE CD set! It will probably clock in at just under three hours! And with three discs of space, I'll be able to fit a blooper reel onto the CD set again! Woohoo!
Okay, that's all for now. See you next week!
- Paeter Frandsen
The first recording session with our Cello player went great and we'll be finishing up her recording early next week.
Paeter is mixing the final scene before the credits and will likely solidify scoring decisions and make purchases for the music next week.
Once this is done, we'll be able to finish scripting the end credits to appropriately include composers, after which Randy Hesson (Vincent) will be coming in to record the end credits for us.
Our office will be closed from July 9th-14th while Paeter and his family are out of town for a family reunion.
The last few days have gone extremely well and we are even feeling ahead of schedule by a day or two. We appreciate your continued prayers and word of mouth support!
Have a wonderful Fourth of July!
No, we haven't received notification of the world's destruction, but Paeter IS working on scene 30 out of 36 scenes. (Scene 32 is a song that's already completed, and scene 35 is the end credits sequence. So there's even less work left than it sounds like!) Out of 66 pages, only 6 and 1/2 pages of script remain to be mixed! Two songs also remain, one of which is about 1/3rd complete. After the rough mix on the scenes are finished, we'll be finalizing our musical score purchases and mixing them in as well.
Paeter is aiming to have a version completed by August 13th. At this time, the mastering process will begin and will hopefully not last more than 2-4 weeks. Although we had once hoped for a summer release, things are shaping up for an early fall release instead. As always, we'll keep you posted!
In the meantime, tell a friend about our podcast! Chapter 2 of "Spirit Blade" is playing this weekend, and by the time we've played all chapters of "Spirit Blade", we'll probably have just a few weeks before "Spirit Blade: Dark Ritual" is released! And if you haven't done so yet, remember to come back here after listening to each Chapter of "Spirit Blade". Each Monday before a chapter airs on the podcast, we're highlighting the philosophical and Biblical truth from the story in our "In Search Of Truth" weekly post! Bring a friend and join the discussion!
Have a great weekend!
This week, Paeter is working on scene 29 out of 36, as well as the song "Silence". We're excited to be using a live Cello for this song and think it will create a unique flavor within the context of the largely electronic music in "Dark Ritual".
Scene 29 is the second part of our climax which, as a whole, takes place over the course of four scenes. Huge revelations, shocking events, explosive action and soon, the reason we keep saying "no one is safe". It's all coming to a high point, but not without some devestating lows.
Some new scoring options have presented themselves that we will be looking into. Although we're using temporary scoring during the mixing process, we've decided to wait on final purchases of music until all other elements in "Dark Ritual" are finished being mixed. We will then choose the options that sound the best and try to save some money by purchasing them all at once. We've got some great music to choose from and believe that the result will be a cinematic quality that considerably raises the standard for our productions.
That's all for now!